Bottle crate



T. V. THOMALL.

BOTTLE CRATE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 18, 192:.

1,41 1,81 5. Patented p 4, 1922.

uurrsn STATES earan'r QFFICE.

TIMOTHY V. THOMALL, 01E CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. ASSIGNOR T0 MILK BOTTLE CRATECOMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

BOTTLE' Application filed March 18,

I '0 all whom it may 0012067 7 Be it known that I, Tnu-u'rI-IY V.'lHoMALL, a citizen of the United States residing at Chicago, in thecounty of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Bottle Crates, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to novel improvements in bottle crates and it hasfor its object to provide a strong and substantial construction andarrangement of parts which will effectively withstand the rough usage towhich these articles are often subjected.

A further object of the invention is to dispose and support the wireswhich support the bottles in the crate so that they will always be heldtaut and rigid in their proper spaced relation to hold the bottles inthe crate in any position in which they may be placed therein.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a bottom plan view of a crate embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a detail view showing a modification.

I may embody the invention in a conven-. tional form as shown in thedrawings, which comprises a rectangular frame 3 having a plurality ofcrossed spacing strips t an ranged therein to form cells or pockets forthe bottles. When these crates are filled with bottles of milk, forexample, they are quite heavy and they are often handled roughly andthrown about when filled as when they are unfilled. The crates aresometimes filled with empty bottles in an inverted position and placedin bottle washing machines for washing the bottles.

It is desired. and in fact essential. that the supports for the bottlesshould be of a strong and substantial character and always maintained inproper spaced relation so that they will not only support the bottlesproperly but will also space them, especially when inverted, in properposition in the crate. For this purpose I provide it with one or moretransverse strips 5 which are suitably secured in opposite walls of thecrate. One way of doing this effectively is to slot or kerf the walls asindicated by the dotted lines 6 in Fig. 1 to permit insertion of theends of the transverse support 5 after the box has been made. Then nails7 are driven Specification of Letters Patent.

CRATE.

Patent-ed Apr. 4, 1922.

1921. Serial No. 453,535.

through the walls and the end oi the strip 5 to secure the strip in thebox. This strip is provided with a slot 8 for each 'cell and the bottlesupporting wires 9 are seated in oft-sets 10 at the ends of the walls.The wires are preferably formed of a continuous strip of wire bent toextend in parallel lines and secured at its ends in the walls of the boxby engagement with pins 11 or other suitable means. The supporting strip5 and the wires may be assembled and then inserted in the box, in whichcase the wires will of course be threaded through the several slots inthe strip and the strip will be engaged with the box as heretoforedescribed. But the strip may first be secured in the box and the wiresarranged in place afterward and for this purpose I provide an opening 12preferably through the upper edge of the strip to enable the parts to beassembled. In Fig. 2 I have shown two closed slots and one open slot andit will be understood that they may be used thusly in combination or thestrip may have all closed slots or all open slots as desired.

Instead of using wires as the bottle supporting means I may arrange flatstrips 13 in the slots 14 of the strip 15 as shown in Fig. 8.

My improved crate is strong and substantial in construction, it can bereadily made at comparatively low cost and the bottle supporting meansis highly efficient and capable of withstanding the ordinary rough usageto which such crates are subjected. lVhere wires are employed as shownin Figs. 1 and 2 the construction of the walls forms a spacing meanswhereby the wires are always held in their proper spaced relation. Toinsure this I prefer to depress the upper wall of the slot as shown at16 to prevent the walls from becoming displaced from the oii eet ends inwhich they are seated.

I reserve the right to change the con struction and arrangement of partsin so far as the same may be done without sacri- {icing the advantagesof my invention and within the scope of the following claims:

I claim:

1. A bottle crate having a plurality of cells therein, a plurality of.wires extending across the crate adjacent the bottom thereof, and atransverse strip arranged on edge and having horizontal slots in itsupper edge With offset ends to receiveand hold said wires. f

2. A bottle crate having a plurality of cells therein, a plurality ofparallel wires extending across the crate adjacent the bottom thereof, atransverse strip secured to the sides of the crate and having slotstherein with oif-set ends to receive and hold and space the Wires, onewall of said slots between said off-set ends being' upset to hold theWires in said ends.

A bottle crate having a plurality of cells therein, a plurality of Wiresextendingv across the crate at the bottom thereof to support bottlestherein, and a transverse strip supported on edge in the crate andhaving slots to receive said wires and retain them in proper spacedrelation, said slots opening through the upper edge of said strip and aWall of each slot being bent to confine 20 the Wires in lace.

'l IMOTHY V. THOMALL.

